The Carved Cupboard

The Carved Cupboard, by Amy
Le Feuvre

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Carved Cupboard, by Amy Le
Feuvre This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Carved Cupboard
Author: Amy Le Feuvre
Release Date: August 4, 2007 [EBook #22232]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
CARVED CUPBOARD ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Frontispiece: 'I HAVE SEALED THE DIRECTIONS IN THIS
ENVELOPE.']

THE CARVED CUPBOARD
BY
AMY LE FEUVRE
AUTHOR OF
'PROBABLE SONS,' 'TEDDY'S BUTTON,' 'LEGEND LED,' 'ODD
MADE EVEN,' 'HEATHER'S MISTRESS,' ETC.

R.T.S., 4 Bouverie Street, London, E.C. 4
1899

Contents
CHAPTER I
A SUPPLANTER
CHAPTER II
FOUR VERSES
CHAPTER III
A COUNTRY HOME
CHAPTER IV
BLUEBEARD'S CUPBOARD
CHAPTER V

A QUIET SUNDAY
CHAPTER VI
A DEPARTURE
CHAPTER VII
UNREST
CHAPTER VIII
ENTERTAINING A STRANGER
CHAPTER IX
GWEN'S RESOLVE
CHAPTER X
CLARE'S DISCOVERY
CHAPTER XI
AGATHA'S LEGACY
CHAPTER XII
OUT IN CALIFORNIA
CHAPTER XIII
HIS LAST MESSAGE
CHAPTER XIV
THE COUSINS' RETURN

CHAPTER XV
ALICK LESTER
CHAPTER XVI
BRINGING BAD TIDINGS
CHAPTER XVII
ELFIE'S CHOICE
CHAPTER XVIII
PATTY'S GRAVE
CHAPTER XIX
THE RIGHTFUL HEIR
CHAPTER XX
BROUGHT BACK

ILLUSTRATIONS
'I HAVE SEALED THE DIRECTIONS IN THIS ENVELOPE.' . . . . . .
Frontispiece
AND SAW A MAN ON HIS KNEES BY THE CUPBOARD

THE CARVED CUPBOARD
CHAPTER I

A Supplanter
'For troubles wrought of men, Patience is hard.'--J. Ingelow.
The firelight shone upon a comfortably-furnished drawing-room in one
of the quiet London squares, and upon four girlish figures grouped
around a small tea-table. Agatha Dane, the eldest, sat back in her chair
with a little wrinkle of perplexity upon her usually placid brow. Rather
plump and short of stature, with no pretensions to beauty, there was yet
something very attractive in her bright open countenance; and she was
one to whom many turned instinctively for comfort and help.
Gwendoline, who sat next her, and was doing most of the talking, was a
tall, slight, handsome girl, with dark eyes that flashed and sparkled with
animation as she spoke, and there was a certain stateliness of carriage
that made some of her acquaintances term her proud.
Clare was toying absently with her spoon and tea-cup; she was
listening, and occasionally put in a word, but her thoughts were
evidently elsewhere. She had not the determination in her face that was
Gwendoline's characteristic; and perhaps the varying expressions
passing over it, and so transparent to those who knew her, formed her
chief charm. There was a wistfulness in her dark blue eyes, and a look
of expectation that one longed to see fulfilled; and her dreamy
preoccupied manner often made her friends wonder if she spent all her
time in dreamland.
Elfrida sat on the hearth-rug with her sunny hair glistening in the
firelight. She was the youngest and prettiest of the four, and had only
just returned from Germany that same day. It was her eager questioning
that was making them all linger over their tea.
'But I don't understand,' she said, a little impatiently. 'How does Cousin
James happen to be here at all? Aunt Mildred never cared for him. She
said last year when I was home that he was a regular screw, and that he
only came on a visit to save his housekeeping bills. Now I come back
and find dear Aunt Mildred gone, and he in full possession of our home,
ready to turn us out to-morrow, you say! Aunt Mildred always told us

we should never want after her death.'
'We shall not actually do that,' said Agatha quietly, 'for she has left us a
legacy each, which will at any rate keep the wolf from the door.'
'But hasn't she left us Dane Hall? She always said she would.'
'No; a codicil to that will has been added since James has been here.'
'Yes; he has managed it beautifully,' put in Gwendoline, with scorn in
her tone. 'He came down here directly he heard she was ill, and
established himself in the dressing-room next to hers. Clare has been
away, but Agatha and I were virtually shut out of the sick-room from
the time he entered the house. He got a trained nurse; said Agatha was
worn out, and must rest; and told Nannie she was too old and too
near-sighted to be left alone with her mistress. The poor old soul has
been weeping her eyes out since! Then he took advantage of Aunt
Mildred's state of weakness, and worried and coaxed her into making
this unjust codicil. All in his favour, of